


And They Were Lab Partners

by Ginger_Holby



Category: Falsettos - Lapine/Finn, Falsettos - Lapine/Finn (Broadway Cast) RPF
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:34:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24914701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ginger_Holby/pseuds/Ginger_Holby
Summary: Marvin starts university in the UK.He needs a lab partner.Whizzer waltzes in.
Relationships: Whizzer Brown/Marvin
Comments: 18
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

Marvin was on his way to his first lecture, headphones blasting the Wicked soundtrack so loud he could barely hear his own footsteps. His heart raced as he trekked up  
the hill, clutching the straps of his rucksack (in an attempt to make himself more aerodynamic so he could move faster, it didn’t work). 

He was a sweaty mess as he reached the summit of the hill, having to stop to catch his breath. 

“Come on mate! You’ll be a skinny bean by the end of your degree!” He heard someone say as they overtook him. 

Marvin didn’t reply, still a bit taken aback at hearing people calling each other ‘mate’. 

He made it to the lecture theatre, strategically selecting a seat next to a wall so he would only have conversation with one person to contend with. 

“Hi! I’m Cordelia, what’s your name? Where are you from? What are you studying?” Marvin heard from the seat next to him as he bent down from his seat to retrieve a  
pen from his bag. He looked up to be sure that he was the one being spoken to. The girl was staring straight at him. 

“Oh, um, I’m Marvin. I’m from the US, studying Biochem,” he replied hesitantly. 

“Awesome! I’m doing Biochem too! I’m from South Wales!” She returned to her laptop to open up a word document. Marvin was slightly taken aback by her enthusiasm, but thought she seemed nice. 

“So, you’re from the US? Where abouts?” She turned back to him. 

“Um, New York,” he said quietly. 

“OMG NO WAY! I’ve always wanted to go there! That’s so cool!” she cried, Marvin growing self-conscious as people started looking their way. 

As she finished speaking, the professor announced that the lecture was about to begin, and a silence fell over the lecture theatre.  
…………………………………………………..  
Following the lecture was a talk introducing the labs that were to begin the following week. It was being held by the professor who had talked them through the main components of cells for the previous hour. 

“You will be required to find your own lab partners. You are welcome to sort your pairings in advance, or you can turn up and wait to see who chooses to sit next to you. Your assigned groups are on a spreadsheet that will be emailed to you all by the end of the day. Please select a partner in the same group as you.”

Marvin’s heart sank at hearing this. His original aim had been to make it through his 3 years in England without becoming attached to anyone, therefore making it painless to return home. Plus, this meant he would have to find someone to partner with. 

………………………………………………

The day of the first lab arrived. He had prepared thoroughly the night before, scouring the manual for steps that would be crucial to make the experiment successful. He was determined to start the year on the right foot, so read through the instructions several times, practically memorising the steps and equipment list. 

He began the walk up the hill, map in hand to ensure he arrived at the right place. He selected the Hadestown soundtrack this time, as the music was considerably calmer than Wicked. 

His stamina had improved since the previous week, so he made it up the hill with few problems (although he still had to pause for a second to catch his breath, but his legs were burning much less). 

He approached the First Year Laboratory building, as it was labelled on his map, and scanned his ID badge to open the automatic doors. He entered the building, being greeted by a small crowd of other students gathered in the foyer who, like him, he assumed were early to secure a good bench. 

A woman with purple hair appeared from a door to announce that the students could drop off their belongings in the locker room, and then follow her through to the lab. Marvin followed quickly to escape the growing crowd, grabbing his pencil case, calculator and lab manual from his bag as he walked. 

“Right everyone, please find a seat and wait for further instruction,” the purple-haired woman called, raising her voice slightly so everyone could hear. 

Marvin chose a seat at the end of a bench, waiting nervously for someone to sit next to him. 

He waited for less than a minute until he noticed another student standing next to him. 

“Hi! Do you mind if I sit here?” the boy asked. Marvin took a couple of seconds to reply, taking in the floppy hair and wide smile that faced him. 

“No, of course!” Marvin smiled shyly. 

“I’m Whizzer, what’s your name?” Marvin’s new lab partner extended his hand. 

“Marvin,” He shook the other boy’s hand. 

“I’m so glad to have found you! All my other friends are in a different lab group, so I felt a bit abandoned,” Whizzer said. Marvin noticed how he said ‘other friends’, implying that they were friends now. Marvin wasn’t complaining. 

……………………………………………………..

Luckily, the experiment wasn’t too complicated, so they could spend most of it getting to know each other. 

“So, you’re from New York, what made you come to uni in England?” Whizzer asked, nearly pipetting the wrong solution in the process. 

“My dad did his masters in York, so he wanted me to experience a UK university too I suppose. He loved it,” Marvin replied, being careful not to break a microscope slide. 

The conversation stayed on this topic briefly, and then switched to any questions Whizzer could think to ask. 

“Wait a second, you’ve never tried coffee?” Whizzer was shocked at this new revelation, having to put down the bottle of distilled water he was holding to hear the answer. 

“No,” Marvin replied, wondering why it was such a big deal. 

“But I literally survive on coffee, everyone I know barely functions without it!” Whizzer returned to what he was doing, conscious of the time. 

…………………………………………..

They high fived each other when they’d completed the experiment, removing their lab coats and gloves. As they retrieved their belongings from the locker room, Marvin breathed a sigh of relief at how unproblematic his lab partner was. 

“My friends and I are going for a drink in the Bio Café before heading back to campus, would you like to join us?” Whizzer asked as he put his brown leather jacket on (Marvin would never admit it, but he thought it looked pretty cool). 

Marvin stopped and looked up at Whizzer, his heart leaping at being asked to join him. 

“Yeah, I’d love to!” Marvin replied, a smile creeping onto his face. 

“Awesome! You ready to go?” Whizzer put his rucksack onto his back, gripping onto the straps. 

“Yep!” 

They walked side by side out of the building. 

Marvin was so glad he’d made a friend.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marvin meets everyone.  
> Mendel is Scottish.

“Hey!” Whizzer called to his friends from across the café, Marvin following closely behind clutching the straps of his rucksack. 

“Hi!” his friends chorused, waving.

Whizzer and Marvin approached the table, only narrowly dodging the assault course of tables and chairs in their path.

“Guys this is Marvin,” Whizzer gestured to his lab partner, “Marvin this is Mendel, Trina, Charlotte and Cordelia”, Whizzer pointed at each of his friends as he recited their names. 

Marvin waved shyly before realising that he and Cordelia had met previously, but not before she remembered. 

“OMG MARVIN HOW ARE YOU?” Cordelia jumped up from her seat to hug Marvin, who hesitated before returning the hug. 

“Good thanks,” Marvin laughed.

“You guys know each other?” Whizzer asked with a confused look, grabbing another chair from a nearby empty table. 

“OF COURSE! We sat next to each other in the first lecture, you know, the really boring one,” Cordelia responded before returning to her seat. 

“Oh, don’t remind me!” Mendel cried, sinking down in his seat. 

“Anyway, how do you two know each other?” Cordelia asked. 

“Marvin is my lab partner,” Whizzer replied grinning, before asking, “Marvin, can I buy you a drink? I’ll get you a coffee so you can try it!” He didn’t wait for a reply before excitedly jumping from his seat, practically skipping over to the till. 

“So, Marvin! How are you finding uni so far?” Charlotte asked from across the table, closing her laptop and returning to her hot chocolate. 

“Um, good, yeah,” he looked down at the table, desperately trying not to sound like a loner. “I guess I haven’t made as many friends as I’d hoped, but we’re only two weeks in so I’m not giving up hope yet!” Marvin managed a smile. 

“Well we’re your friends now!” Cordelia patted Marvin on the back with a huge grin. 

“Yeah! We’ll add you to the group chat! Write down your number!” Trina slid a notebook and pen across the table, so hard it almost slid off. 

“Right, drink it, and tell me what you think,” Whizzer placed a giant latte in front of Marvin, who could’ve passed out from the strong smell of coffee. He laughed at how enormous it was. 

Marvin slowly picked up the mug, the rest of the group moving in closer to watch his reaction. 

He took a sip, cringing at the strong taste. 

Putting the mug down, he spluttered. “I’m sorry, that is the vilest thing I have ever tasted, and I practically downed Night Nurse for a week.”

“Oh well, guess I’ll have to drink it then!” Mendel shrugged, sliding the coffee towards him. 

…………………………………….

Marvin had made it back to his room, hearing his phone beep from his pocket.

 **Cordelia:** Sup guys! Welcome Marvin! Library@7 to work on the lab report?

 **Trina:** *thumbs up*

 **Whizzer:** YASSSSSS STUDY GROUPPPPPP

 **Marvin:** Sure!

 **Cordelia:** I made lemon biscuits

 **Mendel:** WOOOOOOOOO

 **Charlotte:** I swear you spend more on baking stuff than you do on actual food

 **Cordelia:** You speak the truth 

………………………………………

Marvin turned up at 18:55, not wanting to be the late one. He spent several minutes trying to locate the room Cordelia had booked. It turned out he had overestimated the time management skills of his new friends, as only Trina and Charlotte were there. 

Marvin slowly opened the door, poking his head through the door. 

“Hey! Come sit down!” Charlotte called to him in her thick London accent (which Marvin was still getting used to). She pulled out the seat next to her, beckoning him to sit down. 

“SUP CREW!” Whizzer yelled, from the doorway, making everyone jump. 

“SHHHHH WHIZZER WE’RE IN THE LIBRARY!” Cordelia whispered loudly from behind him, clutching a see-through box of biscuits. 

Whizzer and Cordelia sat opposite Trina, Charlotte and Marvin, who had already started on the biscuits. 

“I’ll message Mendel, he probably got lost,” Trina said. 

**Trina:** Mendel

 **Trina:** Mendel

 **Trina:** Mendel

 **Trina:** WHERE ART THOU

 **Mendel:** No idea

 **Trina:** What can you see?

 **Mendel:** Chocolate

 **Trina:** Mendel, are you in the shop?

 **Mendel:** No….

 **Mendel:** Do you want anything?

 **Trina:** Charlotte has biscuits, hurry up!

……………………………………..

30 minutes later, Mendel stumbled in with a bag full of snacks. 

“Goodness Mendel, have you not eaten dinner?” Whizzer asked.

“Um, of course not, what do you take me for, someone who eats at sensible times?” Mendel questioned, dumping the contents of the bag on the table before sitting down next to Whizzer to catch his breath. 

“How many dollars did all that cost you?” Marvin asked, staring at the mountain of packets. 

“About 20 _pounds_ ,” Mendel nearly fell off his chair laughing, his thick Scottish accent still taking time for Marvin to get used to. 

Marvin was embarrassed at his mistake, Whizzer noticing how red his face had become. 

“Marvin don’t worry about it mate, it takes a lot of getting used to all the slang and currency and stuff!” Whizzer tried to reassure him. Marvin looked up and smiled at him, grateful at his attempt to make him feel better. 

“Anyway, this lab report is due in less than a week, so we should probably make a start?” Trina said to the group, trying to change the subject. She had a feeling that Marvin didn’t really like everyone’s eyes being on him.  
Everyone started grabbing books and laptops from their bags, bar Mendel who was practically asleep on the table. 

“Um, has anyone found any articles to use yet?” Marvin asked shyly, still a little red. 

“There’s a tonne on the PubMed website, I can email you a couple if you like,” Whizzer looked up briefly, smiling at Marvin. 

“Thanks,” Marvin smiled back before returning to his graphs. 

The evening went on like that until 11pm, when Whizzer announced that he was about to fall asleep in the corner if he didn’t leave now. 

“Can I walk with you? My accommodation is in the same direction,” Marvin asked.

“Sure!” Whizzer replied happily. 

…………………………………….

It was pitch black by the time they descended the steps outside the library. 

“Wow its cold”, Whizzer remarked.

“Did you not bring a coat?” Marvin laughed at his lab partner. 

“Er, no, it wasn’t this cold earlier,” Whizzer laughed back. 

They walked in silence until they had to part ways. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?” Marvin asked, turning to look at Whizzer. 

“Yeah! Do you want to meet and walk to the lecture together?” Whizzer responded, wrapping his jacket further around himself than it was meant to go in an effort to keep warm. 

“Sure! Can I get your number? I can text you tomorrow,” Marvin asked cautiously. 

“Of course!” Marvin handed Whizzer his phone, their fingers touching briefly making Marvin blush. Luckily, it was so dark that Whizzer wouldn’t notice. 

“Here!” Whizzer handed him back his phone. “I’ll see you tomorrow then,” he said through a yawn. 

“Yeah, see ya,” that was one of the first phrases Marvin had picked up since living in England, and he could pretty much guarantee it wouldn’t be the last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I'm really enjoying writing it!  
> Stay safe xx


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whizzer convinces Marvin to try Ultimate Frisbee with him.  
> They're bad at it.  
> They end up eating soup and drinking tea on Marvin's bedroom floor.

**Whizzer:** Marvin

**Whizzer:** Marvin

**Whizzer:** MARVIN

**Whizzer:** Come to ultimate frisbee with me?

**Marvin:** Why on God’s great earth would I do that?

**Whizzer:** Because it’s the first training and I’m scared to go on my own

**Whizzer:** If you go with me, I won’t be the worst

**Marvin:** Wow gee thanks

**Whizzer:** Pleeeaaaassseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

**Marvin:** *rolls eyes* fine

**Whizzer:** 😊

So that’s how Marvin ended up stood in a muddy field on a rainy Sunday. It was at this moment that Marvin really started to question his life choices. 

The other students had tried to explain the rules of the game, but they had gone in one ear and out the other. At one point, Marvin accidentally played for the team he was supposed to be playing against. Whizzer wasn’t much better, having a frisbee hit his nose at the point between his eyes, prompting the game to stop while he shouted that he’d gone blind. 

During the drills, the coach had allowed all the players a two-minute break to grab some water. It was at this moment that Whizzer whispered to Marvin that he was going to make a run for it. Marvin didn’t hesitate as both boys grabbed their bags and ran as quickly as they could to the hole in the hedge, not stopping until they’d made it safely back to campus. 

Whizzer laid down on a patch of grass in the middle of a few blocks of student flats. Marvin sat down next to him, clutching his legs to massage massage away the pain. 

“That was the worst hour and a half of my entire life. What on earth made me think I was cut out for sports?” Whizzer covered his face with his hands.

Marvin laughed, “Well I knew I wasn’t good as sports to begin with, but now at least I know for sure!”. 

“I don’t think my legs will take me to my room,” Whizzer complained. 

“I mean, I have two cans of soup with my name on it, and more teabags than I could ever need,” Marvin offered. 

“What?” Whizzer asked, confused. 

“You could come to mine for lunch if you’d like.”

“No, no, backtrack, you’ve been converted to tea already? You’ve only been here for what, two months? And you’re already a tea drinker? I’m so proud of my country,” Whizzer said very seriously. 

Marvin cackled, but had to stop to clutch his aching ribs. 

“Let’s go then,” Whizzer stood up, holding his hand out to help Marvin up. 

…………………………………………….

Marvin showered, and then went to the kitchen to heat up the two tins of tomato soup. When Whizzer had asked what flavour the soup was, they argued for longer than necessary about the pronunciation of said word. 

Marvin carried the bowls of soup and two cups of tea on a tray to his room, turning around to open the door with his elbow. 

When he turned back around to look into his room, he didn’t expect to see a topless Whizzer stood in the middle of the room. 

Whizzer spun around, “Sorry, you were quicker than I thought,” he said, pulling on a t-shirt. 

“No worries,” Marvin placed the tray on his desk, with the image of Whizzer’s torso still in his mind. 

…………………………………………..

They ended up sitting on the floor drinking tea and eating soup. 

Marvin had to admit that Whizzer looked adorable with wet hair flopped around his face, although he would never say it out loud. 

When they finished their soup, they abandoned the bowls back on the tray on Marvin’s desk, and returned to sitting on the floor. 

“What made you come to uni in England?” Whizzer asked, moving to lean his back against Marvin’s desk. 

Marvin spent several seconds coming up with an answer. 

“I guess I wanted a completely fresh start. People I knew from high school were going to every college I applied to, but I needed somewhere where no one knew who I was,” Marvin looked down at the floor, not wanting to make eye contact. 

“Feel free to tell me to shut up, but can I ask why?” Unlike Marvin, Whizzer was looking directly at the boy sat opposite him. 

Marvin took a deep breath before replying. 

“People who I thought were my friends, they found stuff out about me that I wasn’t ready for anyone to know, and they didn’t do what I asked them to do with that information,” Marvin felt himself welling up, so forced himself not to blink. 

Whizzer contemplated for a second. 

“You know we’re real friends, right? I’m not going to pry, but I would never do that to you. Neither would the others.”

Marvin looked back up at Marvin, and felt a tear fall down his cheek. 

Whizzer scooted closer and hugged him. Marvin let the tears fall, feeling safe for the first time since leaving the US. 

Whizzer didn’t say anything. He wanted to hold on for as long as Marvin needed him to. 

They stayed like that until Whizzer felt Marvin pull away, so he did the same. 

“It’s okay,” Whizzer reassured, rubbing Marvin’s shoulders. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect to get so emotional,” Marvin rubbed his eyes 

“Hey, look at me,” Whizzer hunched over slightly to get into Marvin’s eyeline. 

“It’s okay, whatever’s happened, it’s going to be okay,” Whizzer tried his best to reassure Marvin. 

Marvin nodded, his eyes watering up again. Whizzer noticed this and moved to sit next to Marvin. He took Marvin’s hand in his own, covering it with his other hand. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Whizzer asked, hesitating slightly. 

Marvin rested his head on Whizzer’s shoulder. They stayed like that for another minute until Marvin took a deep breath and started speaking again. 

He whispered: “I’m gay.”

Marvin started crying again. 

Whizzer put an arm around Marvin’s shoulders, still holding on to his hand with his other. 

“I promise you, it’ll be okay,” Whizzer whispered. 

Marvin turned to look at him. 

“How do you know that?” Marvin asked, drying under his eyes with his sleeve. 

Whizzer fixed his eyes on Marvin’s as he said: “Because I’ve been through what you’re going through.”

Marvin looked confused for a couple of seconds before it dawned on him. Whizzer didn’t give Marvin time to say anything. 

“I know how hard it is to accept yourself, but I’m going to help you. You’ll get there, and I’ll be walking alongside you the whole way. You’re amazing, the best lab partner I could have hoped to have, and you don’t deserve anything that’s happened to you.” 

All Marvin could muster was a whispered “thank you”, and then Whizzer knew that he needed another hug, so he gave him one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I hope you're enjoying it!  
> And kudos and comments are hugely appreciated  
> Stay safe everyone! xx


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whizzer gives Marvin his jumper.   
> They end up in Waterstones.

The next morning, everyone had met in the Bio Café before their 9am lecture. Mendel and Cordelia were just about falling asleep in their coffees, while Charlotte and Trina were frantically trying to finish their lab reports before the midday deadline. 

Mendel’s head hit the table with a loud thud, startling the rest of the group. 

“MENDEL,” Whizzer said loudly. He was standing next to the table, returning from the breakfast buffet. 

Mendel ignored him, proceeding to put his hood up and lay back down on the table. 

“Hey guys”, Marvin had just arrived, soaking wet from a thunderstorm. He pulled out the chair next to him for Marvin to sit down. 

“Goodness, what happened to you?” Cordelia looked up from her second coffee. 

“I fell in the river,” Marvin deadpanned, something he’d clearly learnt from Whizzer. 

“No way! You too?” Cordelia responded with genuine excitement. 

Everyone turned to look at Cordelia, waiting for an explanation.

“What? I was drunk okay!” She got up to get another coffee as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. 

“Here, you’re shivering, I have a spare jumper,” Whizzer noticed Marvin out of the corner of his eye, his t-shirt wet through, so he handed him his Castleford Tigers hoodie.

Trina raised an eyebrow. 

“Thank you,” Marvin whispered in response. 

He took one look at the hoodie and burst out laughing, offending Whizzer slightly, but Marvin’s smile made his heart melt. 

“Who on earth are the ‘Castleford Tigers’?” Marvin asked, pulling the jumper over his head and sliding into the seat next to Whizzer. 

“Um, firstly, I’m offended, secondly, only the greatest rugby team in the country,” Whizzer replied, overdramatising his offence. 

Cordelia burst out laughing.

“And what on God’s great earth are you laughing at?” Whizzer looked at Cordelia expectantly. 

“No one’s even heard of the Castleford Tigers,” Cordelia replied, clearly suppressing another laugh. 

Whizzer didn’t argue, returning to his breakfast. 

“RIGHT! I’m tired of this. We still have two weeks left, and you are all the most miserable I’ve ever seen you. I mean, Whizzer, you didn’t even argue with Cordelia about your love for your home-town’s rugby team,” Charlotte said, everyone silently agreeing. 

“Firstly, I’m exhausted, secondly, I’m eating my breakfast, and thirdly, she’s right,” Whizzer shrugged. 

“We need a day out. Let’s go to the Birmingham Christmas market on Saturday!” Charlotte suggested. 

“OMG YES! THAT SOUNDS AMAZING!” Cordelia jumped up and down in her seat with excitement. 

Noises of agreement came from the rest of the group, apart from Mendel who remained asleep. 

“I’ll put the details in the group chat, but we should probably go to the lecture,” Charlotte said, noticing the time. 

……………………………………….

Halfway through the lecture, Trina was bored, so she began communicating to Whizzer (who was sitting next to her) via word document. 

_Whiz, what was with you giving Marvin your jumper?_

Trina discreetly nudged Whizzer, who was obviously bored out of his mind, and pointed to her message. 

Whizzer made a confused expression before proceeding to type on his own laptop. 

_He was cold, so I gave him my jumper_

_Cute_

_What?!_

_You guys are so cute, I saw how you looked at him even when he offended your favourite rugby team_

Whizzer rolled his eyes and continued to make notes on the lecture, smiling slightly to himself. 

Trina saw this and typed another message.

_I KNEW IT!_

Whizzer ignored this, but Trina smiled at him knowingly. 

_You should ask him out!_

Whizzer pretended to turn his attention back to the lecture.

………………………………………………

**Charlotte:** Right, everyone still on for tomorrow? Bus stop at 9?

**Whizzer:** I can’t believe you’re making us get up before 9 on a Saturday

**Mendel:** I’ll second that, it’s a form of torture

**Charlotte:** *rolls eyes*

**Marvin:** Is there a Waterstones in Birmingham? I’ve never been to one before

**Whizzer:** There is, I’ll take you there myself

**Marvin:** 😊 

**Trina:** *winky face*

……………………………………………..

Marvin arrived at the bus stop at 08:45. Whizzer arrived five minutes later, finding him perched on a seat with his rucksack on the floor between his legs. His headphones were blasting music into his ears, so Whizzer wanted to make his presence known, not wanting to startle him. 

He moved to stand to the side of him, waving when Marvin looked up from his phone. 

Marvin removed his headphones and began to wrap up the cable. 

“Hey,” Marvin smiled. 

“Hey!” Whizzer sat down next to him. 

“You look exhausted!” Marvin laughed, reaching down to put his headphones back in his bag. 

“I woke up 20 minutes ago, no time for coffee,” Whizzer leaned his head against the glass. 

Marvin laughed, “Did you drop some connectives on the way here?” 

“I’ll take you to Waterstones when we get there, so I can get a coffee and you can browse to your heart’s content.”

Marvin smiled to himself. 

“SUP GANG!” Cordelia strutted over to sit next to Whizzer. 

“Delia, please, shhhhhh”, Whizzer closed his eyes. 

“Wow, someone needs a coffee!” Trina arrived, along with Charlotte and Mendel, and handed Whizzer a coffee. 

“What’s this?” Whizzer stared at the disposable cup with confusion. 

“I somehow knew you’d wake up late,” Trina laughed. 

………………………………………….

The bus turned up late (only by 10 minutes, which is good by British standards). 

Marvin was the last to step onto the bus, following everyone to the top deck. The bus lurched forwards as he neared the top of the stairs, causing him to lose his footing slightly. 

Whizzer grabbed his hand. 

“Are you okay?” Whizzer pulled him to safety. 

“Yeah I’m fine, just clumsy,” Marvin blushed as Whizzer held onto his hand. 

Whizzer didn’t let go until Marvin was safely sitting in a set next to him.

“So, if you don’t have a Waterstones in New York, what do you have instead?” Whizzer asked. 

“We have Barnes and Noble, but I live quite far away from one so I never get to go,” Marvin replied. 

“That sucks, don’t tell anyone, but I’m a sucker for a good book shop,” Whizzer leaned closer to whisper. 

This made Marvin smile, promptly causing Whizzer’s heart to practically melt into a puddle. 

The bus journey continued with Trina and Mendel turning to make small talk with them. 

“Right, we’re at the station, come on!” Charlotte stood up pressing the bell. 

Marvin was at the back of the group again. As he neared to the top of the stairs, Whizzer turned and held out his hand. 

“Your majesty,” Whizzer bowed slightly. 

Marvin grinned at this gesture, taking his hand and allowing Whizzer to lead him down the stairs. 

Whizzer didn’t let go until they re-joined the group at the train station entrance. 

“Right, the train arrives in 10 minutes, so we’ll go and wait on the platform,” Charlotte announced to the group, very much adopting the role of trip co-ordinator. 

………………………………………………..

The train journey was a short one, which was for the best as Whizzer was annoying a few other commuters with his rendition of Maria from West Side Story. Marvin silently appreciated this because, as his music playlists would strongly suggest, he did love a show tune. 

When they arrived in Birmingham City centre, the Christmas Market was still being set up, so they formed a plan. 

“Okay, so if you two head to Waterstones, Trina and I will go to Lush, and Cordelia and Mendel can go to Costa. We’ll meet back here in exactly one hour,” Charlotte reeled off, summarising the conversation. 

“Got it, come on Marvin, today I am your escort to the land of dreams,” Whizzer bowed again, grabbing Marvin’s hand (he wasn’t complaining) and headed for Waterstones. 

Once inside, they both stared at the map of the shop, settling on Fiction to begin with. 

“Oh wow!” Marvin picked up a copy of ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy of Four’. 

Whizzer took pleasure in seeing how excited Marvin was to be in a book shop. 

He saw Marvin read the first two pages, and then look at the price before putting it back.

“Let’s go to the science books,” Marvin said. 

“Your majesty,” Marvin gladly took his hand. 

“Ooh,” Marvin wandered over to ‘Junk DNA’. 

“I might go back downstairs and find my mum a book for her birthday, I’ll see you back here in a few minutes?” 

Marvin looked up and made a noise of agreement before turning back to browse the shelves. 

………………………………………………..

About 15 minutes later, Whizzer returned to the Popular Science section to find Marvin carrying two books, reading the blurb of a third. 

“Hey Marvin,” Whizzer announced his presence, not wanting to startle him. 

“Hey, did you find a book for your mom?” Marvin asked. 

“Um, no. But I did find something for you,” Whizzer said quietly, handing Marvin the plastic bag. 

Marvin looked up at him with disbelief, before putting down his other books to peer inside the bag. 

He gasped, pulling the book out.

It was ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the Trilogy of Four’. 

He dropped the bag, put the book down, and wrapped his arms around Whizzer’s neck, pulling him into a tight hug. 

Marvin whispered, “Thank you.”

Whizzer melted into the hug, wrapping his arms around Marvin’s waist. 

Marvin released him, but kept his arms wrapped around the taller man’s neck. It was only then that he realised how close they were. 

Without thinking, Whizzer softly placed his lips on Marvin’s, placing his hands on the other man’s waist. He expected to be pushed away, but Marvin reciprocated, pulling him in closer. 

Suddenly aware of any potential onlookers, Marvin pulled away soon after, putting his arms back at his side. 

“Marvin, I’m so sorry, I should’ve asked…” Whizzer began to ramble, before being cut off when Marvin’s lips returned to his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!   
> I'm really enjoying writing this :)  
> Any kudos and comments are really appreciated! xx


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waterstones continued.   
> Whizvin are cute af

“I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” Whizzer rested his forehead against Marvin’s. 

Marvin smiled, moving to rest his head on Whizzer’s shoulder, his arms still draped around the taller man’s neck. 

It was then that Marvin suddenly became very aware of how crowded the book shop had become, causing him to pull away and pick up the books he intended to buy. 

Whizzer put his hand on Marvin’s shoulder, whispering “Hey, are you okay?” 

Marvin focused his eyes on the other man’s, causing all of his insecurities to walk down the street and get on the next bus. 

He grabbed the back of Whizzer’s head with his spare hand, pulling him in closer, and kissed him gently. 

Pulling away, he smiled and whispered, “I’m fine, shall we get a drink? We still have…” He looked at his watch,” 20 minutes.”

Whizzer grabbed his hand, guiding Marvin to a table in a quiet corner of the Waterstones café. 

“What can I get for you?” Whizzer removed his coat and bag, leaving them on the chair opposite the one Marvin was sitting down in. 

Marvin stood up, grabbing his wallet from his bag. 

“No, I’ll pay!” He protested. 

“Not if I get there first!” Whizzer ran off, dodging all the tables and making it to the queue before Marvin fully understood what was happening. 

“I’ll get you a hot chocolate!” Whizzer shouted across the room, startling the lady in front of him. “Sorry madam,” he said. 

Marvin laughed, sitting down and taking out his new copy of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. 

Roughly five minutes later, Whizzer returned to the table with a tray carrying two mugs and a slice of lemon drizzle cake. 

Marvin looked up. 

“Whizzer, its 11o’clock in the morning, you got cake?”

“Yes, and?” Whizzer sat down. 

Marvin laughed, until he noticed the two forks on the tray. 

“Here you go,” Whizzer slid the mug of hot chocolate over to Marvin. 

Marvin didn’t look at the mug, keeping his eyes fixed on the man opposite him. 

“What?” Whizzer questioned after noticing Marvin looking at him.

“Nothing, this just feels so weird,” Marvin began stirring his drink with a spoon. 

Whizzer reached over and held Marvin’s free hand. 

“We can take this as slowly as you want,” Whizzer said sincerely. 

Marvin smiled in a way that would have made Whizzer’s legs buckle from beneath him, had he been standing up. 

“Why would someone like you like someone like me?” Marvin asked, looking back down at his drink. 

“Someone like me?” Whizzer questioned. 

“I mean, you’re you! You wear cool leather jackets, and you’re friends with everyone! I’m awkward, and shy, and,” Marvin was cut off by a piece of lemon drizzle cake being stuffed into his mouth. 

He looked at Whizzer with confusion and annoyance. 

“No one talks about my boyfriend that way,” Whizzer scolded, causing Marvin to look up at him with wide eyes. 

Once Marvin had swallowed the cake, he froze. 

“Boyfriend?” He whispered. 

Whizzer smiled, sandwiching Marvin’s hand between both of his. 

“I think you’re amazing. You’re kind to everyone, you listen to what everyone says so tentatively, you’re encouraging. And you have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen,” Whizzer paused, looking down at the table, “So, only if you’d like, I’d love for you to be my boyfriend.”

Marvin didn’t say anything, or even move, so much so that Whizzer looked down at his chest to make sure he was still breathing. 

There was silence, until a whisper broke Whizzer’s thought. 

“I’d love to be your boyfriend”, Marvin whispered. 

Whizzer looked up, locking his eyes on Marvin’s. He smiled, gripping onto Marvin’s hand as if he would never let go. 

Marvin stood up still holding onto Whizzer’s hand, causing him to stand up too. He walked around the table, grabbed onto Whizzer and kissed him gently. 

“We should go, we’re late for meeting up with everyone,” Marvin pulled on his coat and backpack, prompting Whizzer to follow suit. 

“Marvin, what do you want them to know?” Whizzer put his hand in Marvin’s. 

“When the time is right, we’ll tell them,” Marvin replied. Whizzer nodded in response. 

……………………………………………………..

“YO YO YO! Where’ve you guys been?” Mendel approached Marvin and Whizzer, with the rest of the group following closely behind. 

“Uh, sorry, we lost track of time,” Marvin stumbled over his words, causing Trina to raise an eyebrow. 

“Guys come on! I smell the hotdogs!” Cordelia grabbed Trina and ran off into the abyss of fairy lights and Christmas decorations. 

Marvin turned to see where Cordelia ran, causing him to gasp. 

“It’s beautiful,” Marvin whispered. 

“Come on,” Whizzer laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the market. 

…………………………………………..

They spent a couple of hours browsing the ornaments and snacks being sold. Mulled wine was drunk and hotdogs were eaten.

Whizzer’s hand discreetly brushed against Marvin’s a lot during those hours, with Whizzer making sure that no one was looking. 

But then Charlotte gathered everyone for a group picture. 

“Is everyone in?” she asked, positioning her phone so everyone could be seen behind her. 

At that exact moment, Whizzer turned to look at Marvin, noticing that Marvin had done the same. 

With that, Marvin placed his hand on the back of Whizzer’s head and kissed him gently. When he released Whizzer, he was gazing longingly at Marvin. 

“Right, let’s see who has their eyes closed,” Charlotte opened up the photo on her phone. 

She turned to look at Whizzer and Marvin with a shocked expression, Marvin smiling sheepishly. 

“What?” Mendel asked, noticing Charlotte’s expression. 

Cordelia took Charlottes phone from her hand, with Trina and Mendel gathering behind her to see the picture. 

Simultaneously, all three of them looked up mirroring Charlotte’s face. 

Whizzer grabbed Marvin’s hand, clearing up any questions without them having to be asked. 

“OH MY GOODNESS I’M SO HAPPY FOR YOU GUYSSSSS!” Cordelia hugged Marvin and Whizzer at the same time. 

They were suddenly surrounded by all four of their friends, all hugging them. 

“How long have you guys been together?” Trina asked, grinning. 

“Um, about…,” Whizzer looked at his watch,” an hour?”

“I knew there was something there!” Trina exclaimed with excitement. 

“So none of you guys mind?” Whizzer asked

“OF COURSE NOT YOU GUYS ARE THE CUTEST!” Cordelia shouted. 

“We’ve got to go, or we’ll miss our train, but YOU GUYSSSSS!” Charlotte hugged them again. 

……………………………………………………

Whizzer held onto Marvin’s hand until they had to separate to go to their own accommodation blocks. 

“I’ll see you for lunch tomorrow?” Marvin asked.

“Definitely! I’ll see you here at 12:00 to walk there,” Whizzer smiled, pulling Marvin in for a kiss, completely forgetting that the rest of their group was watching. 

“Awwww,” they heard Cordelia whisper. 

“I’ll call you when I get back,” Whizzer whispered, resting his forehead against Marvin’s. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Marvin smiled. 

Whizzer watched Marvin walk away, holding onto his hand until he was too far away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I'm loving writing this!  
> Stay safe everyone xx


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They head home for Christmas.  
> Marvin finds a letter.

“SUP LOSERS,” Cordelia shouted from the other side of the road, struggling to pull her suitcase along the uneven paving stones. 

The rest of the group were standing at the bus stop, surrounded by various suitcases and rucksacks scattered along the pavement. 

“Whizzer? I thought you weren’t heading home until tomorrow,” Cordelia queried as she crossed the road. 

“I’m not, but I’m dropping Marvin off at the airport,” Whizzer looked at Marvin before leaning his head on his shoulder. 

“Aww, you guys are just the cutest,” Cordelia cooed as she plonked herself down on the pavement. 

Soon enough the bus came, prompting the students to retrieve their bags make their way to the seats. They’d agreed in advance not to go to the top deck, as they all remembered how Marvin had faired the last time. 

“Cordelia, remind me of your route home?” Charlotte asked, turning around in her seat to face her friend. 

Cordelia sighed, “I’m getting the train from here to King’s Cross, then the train to Cardiff, and then a bus home.”

“Goodness, I’m glad I’m flying!” Marvin remarked from behind them.

………………………………………

“Aw I’ll miss you guys!” Mendel said, pulling his friends into a group hug. 

“Come on Marvin, we’ll miss the train,” Whizzer grabbed hold of Marvin’s suitcase in one hand, and Marvin’s hand in the other. 

“I’ll see you all in January!” Marvin waved as they headed towards the barriers. 

Trina, Charlotte, Cordelia and Mendel waved after them. 

“Bye!” they chorused, as their friends turned the corner to find their platform. 

…………………………………….

Shortly after the train set off, Marvin felt his phone buzz in his coat pocket. Pulling it out, he found it was a message to the group chat. 

Cordelia: WE LOVE YOU MARVIN

Marvin felt a lump in the back of his throat, and then a tear falling from his eye. Whizzer turned to look at him at this exact moment, seeing the message on Marvin’s phone. 

He pulled Marvin into a hug, being careful not to knock Marvin’s phone onto the floor. 

“We all love you so much. We’ll be here when you get back in the new year,” Whizzer started to tear up. 

They were both now sobbing on the train. Marvin rested his head on Whizzer’s shoulder until they reached the airport. 

…………………………………..

“Right, let’s do this thing,” Marvin announced as he pulled his rucksack onto his back. He went to retrieve his suitcase, but Whizzer beat him to it.

As they entered the airport, Whizzer took a deep breath, trying to stop any tears.

“Um,” Marvin turned to face Whizzer,” I’ll just go and check in, and I’ll be back.”

Whizzer nodded, smiling sadly. As he saw Marvin walk towards the check-in desk, he spotted a WHSmith out of the corner of his eye. 

……………………………………

Marvin returned to where Whizzer stood, now clutching a brown paper bag (Whizzer is very environmentally friendly). 

Marvin looked at him confused. Before he could say anything, Whizzer spoke. 

“I bought you some snacks for the journey,” he opened the bag, reminding himself what he bought. “Just a sandwich, some cheese and onion crisps and a bag of smarties,” he looked back up at Marvin, smiling shyly. 

Without saying a word, Marvin grabbed Whizzer by the waist and kissed him, before hugging him tightly. 

“Thank you, you’re the best boyfriend in the world,” Marvin whispered into Whizzer’s ear, not letting go. 

Whizzer let go quickly, handing Marvin the bag. “You should go, you don’t want to miss your flight,” he said hurriedly, avoiding eye contact. 

Marvin nodded in response, looking down at the floor. 

He took a deep breath, hugged Whizzer once more, and then headed for security. 

Whizzer watched as Marvin walked away, waving when Marvin looked back before turning the corner. 

The journey back to his halls of residence was a lonely one. 

………………………………

Marvin had made it through security, and was now securely buckled into his plane seat, covered in a plane blanket. Although he flew a lot, he was still a nervous flier. 

He gripped onto his armrests throughout take-off, and only unbuckled himself to find his book in his rucksack. 

Instead of finding his book, he pulled out a yellow envelope he didn’t remember packing. 

On the front, it said ‘Marvin’, with a love heart drawn over the ‘I’. 

Confused, he opened it, pulling out a piece of folded paper. 

_Marvin,_

_We’ve only been together for a week, but my heart breaks at the thought of not being by your side for the next month. I’ve only known you for three months, but it feels like I’ve been looking for you forever._  
You make me so happy, Marvin. That day at the Christmas Market was the best day of my life, because not only did I leave with too many books to take home with me, but I left with you.  
I adore everything about you, from your hair when you’ve been caught in the rain, to the way you hold the straps of your rucksack (you’ll never convert me to saying ‘backpack’, so stop trying). 

_I know our friends love you a lot, but they’ll never love you as much as I do._

_I’ll be here waiting when you get back._

_All my love,_

_Whizzer xx <3 _

Marvin hadn’t realised he’d been sobbing since reading the first sentence. A flight attendant came over to ask if he was alright, and all he could do was nod. 

He would be calling Whizzer the second he stepped off the plane in New York.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> I know this chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.  
> Stay safe everyone! xx


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's New Year's Eve.

“Hi handsome,” Whizzer said after accepting Marvin’s facetime call. This made Marvin grin from ear to ear. 

“Hey! Happy New Year’s Eve!” Marvin was wearing slightly lopsided party hat and glasses with ‘Happy New Year’ in large letters stuck to the top. Whizzer laughed as he took it all in, admiring the effort. 

“Wow,” Whizzer burst out laughing again. 

“Excuse me, what is so funny? At least I’ve in the festive mood! You look like you’re dressed for a funeral,” Marvin frowned. 

“Aw, I love you,” Whizzer continued to laugh, not realising what he’d said. 

He stopped laughing when he noticed Marvin’s serious expression. 

“What?” Whizzer asked, oblivious. 

“You just told me you love me,” Marvin practically whispered, but loud enough that his laptop’s microphone could pick it up. 

Whizzer shrugged. 

“Well, I do,” he said bluntly, smiling. 

Marvin smiled shyly, not making eye contact. 

“How’s your family?” Whizzer quickly changed the subject, not wanting to make Marvin uncomfortable, which Marvin appreciated. 

“They’re fine, they’re all out at parties so I’m home alone.”

“You’re home alone on New Year’s Eve?” Whizzer asked dramatically, making Marvin laugh out loud. 

“By choice! You know I’m not a partier,” Marvin reassured him.

“Yeah, but I’d rather you be with people seeing as I’m a 7-hour plane journey away!” Whizzer said sadly. 

“Well, this is the next best thing,” Marvin smiled. “Oh! I got your parcel!” Marvin got up off his bed and walked out of the camera’s shot before returning with a large yellow box.  
“I noticed that yellow is becoming a theme,” Marvin laughed. “I especially appreciated this,” he pulled out a small fluffy dinosaur toy.

“It did make me sad because it reminded me of watching The Good Dinosaur, but I love him with all my heart,” Marvin sat the toy on his laptop so Whizzer could still see it. 

“I also loved the socks, teabags and chocolate, which I ate immediately,” Marvin looked sheepish, which made Whizzer laugh.

“I’m glad you liked them,” Whizzer smiled. 

“I loved them! I honestly don’t know what I ever did to deserve you…” he was cut off by Whizzer. 

“You’re the most amazing, honest, humble person I’ve ever met!”

Marvin couldn’t find the right words to respond. 

“If I was with you, I’d kiss you right now,” he decided on. 

Whizzer smiled at this. “Well you’ll have to save them up for when I see you at the airport. When’s your flight back?”

Marvin shuffled to lay on his front with his arms folded. 

“Saturday at 10am, so I’ll get to Birmingham at about 6,” he replied. 

“I’ll make a note on my phone,” Whizzer retrieved his phone from his desk before returning to his bed. 

“Oh look! It’s one minute to midnight!” Marvin just realised that they’d had this whole conversation with his hat and glasses on. 

“Oh yeah, it’s a good job you noticed, we might have missed it. I mean I’d rather talk to you than celebrate another orbit of the sun, but still,” Whizzer commented. 

“Right, quickly, new year’s resolution. Go!” Marvin said quickly. 

“Um, um, I’m going to tell you I love you every day. And I want to pass my first year, that’d be great. You go.”

“I’m going to spend as much time as I can in England, and I’m going to be honest with you.”

Just as Marvin had said that, the clock turned to 00:00, prompting Marvin to blow a party horn that had been next to him for the last hour, making Whizzer cackle. 

“I really need to go to bed now, I don’t deal well with late nights,” Marvin yawned. 

“Aw okay, I’ll speak to you tomorrow! Or today, or whenever,” Whizzer laughed. 

“Okay, I did say my resolution was to be honest with you. So, I love you!” Marvin cried, not caring if anyone heard him. 

Whizzer’s heard melted at hearing those words. 

“I love you too,” he whispered, waving before hanging up. 

……………………………………..

Marvin: I’m through security

Whizzer: I have Pizza Hut on speed dial, and ice cream in the freezer

Marvin: 😊 

……………………………………

Marvin spent the plane journey finishing The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, but could barely focus on the words. He knew that Whizzer would be at the airport waiting for him across the ocean. 

He couldn’t get through security fast enough. His suitcase was painfully slow turning up on the conveyor belt. 

It felt like a never-ending maze of corridors. But soon enough he turned a corner and saw a crowd of people greeting other travellers. 

He spotted Whizzer’s brown leather jacket through the crowd and started to make his way towards it. He stopped when he noticed the sign he was holding. 

‘Marvin AKA the man I love’

This was enough to make Marvin surge towards Whizzer, wrapping his arms tightly around his neck. Whizzer responded by dropping his sign and wrapping his arms around Marvin’s waist. 

“I missed you so much,” Marvin whispered before tears started to fall. 

“Its okay, I’ve got you,” Whizzer whispered back, pulling Marvin in tighter. 

They stayed like that for the next couple of minutes before Marvin pulled away, pressing his lips to Whizzer’s before grabbing his suitcase. 

Whizzer grabbed Marvin’s hand and led him towards the exit. It was only then that Whizzer noticed the dinosaur in Marvin’s coat pocket. 

“How long has he been in your pocket?” he asked. 

Marvin looked down at his pocket. “The whole journey,” he looked up and smiled at Whizzer. “I took him out so he could watch The Good Dinosaur on the plane with me.” Whizzer laughed at hearing this. 

“So, what’s the plan?” Marvin asked as they exited the building through revolving doors. 

“Well, you can come back to my room, and we’ll eat pizza and ice cream while watching Drag Race?” 

“That sounds perfect,” Marvin rested his head on Whizzer’s shoulder as they walked towards the train station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!   
> Any comments are more than welcome :)   
> Stay safe xx

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading!  
> This is heavily based on my UK university experience :)  
> I hope you enjoyed it!  
> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!  
> Stay safe xx


End file.
